Podium: Keep track of your competitors with the push of a button

DJ Saul, CEOPosted on March 29, 2016

Podium is an internet connected device that uses real-time social data to show comparative rankings of a brand’s performance versus their competitors. We partnered with our friends at TrackMaven, a competitive intelligence platform for marketers, to pull Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter data for airline brands (our focus for our Beta product). Podium is the perfect tool for any busy brand marketer who wants a quick snapshot of their competitive set’s performance on social media. Check it out in action below!

HOW IT’S MADE

The device is built on a custom printed circuit board with a Wi-Fi microcontroller and an additional cell connection. From mechanical and electrical engineers, to custom fabricators and industrial designers, the construction was a full team effort.

We built Podium in an iterative fashion, which allowed us to oversee every detail and rapidly develop the product. The electronics are housed in a stainless steel sheet metal enclosure with milled walnut end caps. While the device could be plugged in at your desk, it also includes a lithium ion battery.

Inside, five servos drive acrylic airline-inspired fins up and down to indicate comparative brand ranking. Each of the fins is driven by servos connected to a 3D printed pin-slot mechanism, which allows the fins to articulate with precise motion.

HOW IT WORKS

Simply turn the dial to select which social platform you want to visualize, push the button, and data is pulled from the TrackMaven API. It’s then run through our algorithm — analyzing both real-time and historical data — and moves the fins to display how your brand currently stacks up against key competitors.

NEED HELP?

Simply push the help button to be automatically connected with our team. (This is real email from a unit we shipped to Southwest Airlines HQ!).

WHAT’S NEXT

We’re currently exploring the next market segment to track and visualize. If you’d like to see podium in your office, let us know!